


Light My Candle

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-05
Updated: 2005-12-05
Packaged: 2019-01-19 12:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12410412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: [One-Shot]. Very RENT-esque. Taken from RENT's "Light My Candle." Lily comes to James' flat one night.





	Light My Candle

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

James Potter had just come down from his snowy apartment building roof. It was calm and peaceful up there, and he often needed time to think. His roommate Sirius Black had just gone to meet their other friend Remus Lupin, leaving James alone. James didn't really mind; he didn't have much money anyway. Sirius, Remus, and James had once lived in the flat with a man named Peter Pettigrew and a woman named Elizabeth Chipping. But Elizabeth and Remus had broken up, and she had moved out. Peter had also moved out and married; but now his father-in-law was looking to shut down the series of flats that lined the street. 

And they had just shut off the power.

Damn, James thought angrily, where in the bloody hell am I going to find money to pay the bloody rent? And Sirius still hasn't had anything to help out with.

_Knock. Knock._

James sighed as he got up from the couch and walked over to the door. He was sure it was Sirius, forgetting something as usual.

"What's you forget?" He asked, opening the door, not even looking at the person.

"Got a light?" a female voice asked. James' head snapped up. In the doorway was the girl from the flat downstairs. She had long red hair and piercing emerald eyes.

"I know you, you're-" James began, and the girl shivered. "You're shivering."

"It's nothing," she shrugged, and came through the door. "They turned off my heat." She wobbled slightly. "And I'm just a little weak on my feet. Would you light my candle?" She held out a candle James hadn't noticed she was holding. "What are you staring at?" She asked him.

James hadn't realized he was staring at her eyes. "Nothing," he replied hastily. "Your hair in the moonlight. You look familiar." James brought out his wand and lit the candle. The girl smiled in her thanks and made to leave. She hadn't taken two steps when she wobbled again.

James hurried to her, holding her arm. "Can you make it?"

She smiled. "Just haven't eaten much today." She walked toward the table. "At least the room stopped spinning anyway." She glanced over at James. "What?"

"Nothing," James replied again, raising his arm. "Your smile reminded me--"

The girl smiled at him and chuckled, walking toward the window. "I always remind people of--who is she?"

"She died," James said quietly. "Her name was April." He didn't notice her blow out her candle.

"It's out again," she stated, walking over to him. "Sorry bout your friend. Would you light my candle?"

James lit the candle. They stood lingering near each other awkwardly.

"Well," James began.

"Yeah." she finished. Suddenly she pulled her hand away. "Ow!"

"Oh! The wax--it's--" James said, reaching for her hand to examine it.

"Dripping!" she interrupted him. She took his hand and placed it in hers, trailing it down the front of her shirt. "I like it between my--"

"Fingers." James said hastily, pulling away his hand. "I figured. Oh well, goodnight."

Lily smiled at him and made her exit. James sighed and made his way over to his guitar placed on the table.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

James practically ran to the door. "It blew out again?" he asked her.

"No--I think that I dropped my stash," she said anxiously, entering his flat again.

James stared at her as she searched around the room. "I know I've seen you out and about, when I used to go out." He noticed the candle. "Your candle's out."

The girl was fretfully looking around. "I'm illin'--I had it when I walked through the door. It was pure! Is it on the floor?" She got down on all fours and started searching. James stared at her, confused.

"The floor?"

She looked up and noticed James staring at her. "They say that I have the best ass below Fourteenth Street. Is it true?"

"What?" James choked.

"You're staring again."

"Oh no," James began, "I mean you do--have a nice--I mean--you look familiar." He stuttered, and got down on the floor to help her look

"Like your dead girlfriend?" she asked as she searched near the stove.

"Only when you smile," he replied, "but I'm sure I've seen you somewhere else..."

"Do you go to the Cat Scratch Club?" she asked. "That's where I work--I dance."

"Yes!" James answered. "They used to tie you up!" He smiled, remembering.

"It's a living," she replied glumly. She blew out the candle.

"I didn't recognize you without the handcuffs," he said honestly.

"We could light the candle," she said, changing the subject. She crawled over to him. "Oh, won't you light the candle?"

James lit the candle. He looked at her. "Why don't you forget that stuff? You look like your sixteen," he said, gesturing toward her appearance and standing.

She laughed. "I'm nineteen," She stood also. "But I'm old for my age." She bumped her waist into him and walked to the other side of the room. "I'm just born to be bad."

James watched her. "I once was born to be bad. I used to shiver like that."

"I have no heat, I told you," she said defensively.

"I used to sweat."

"I've got a cold,"

"Uh-huh, I used to be a junkie."

"Now and then I like to--"

"Uh-huh"

"Feel good."

James looked to the floor, and saw her stash.He quickly picked it up."Here it--um--" he placed it in his pocket.

"What's that?" she asked eagerly, walking over to him.

"Candy bar wrapper," he replied, shrugging.

"We could light the candle," she said, looking around fervently. James discreetly blew out the candle. She looked at it, and at him. "What'd you do with my candle?"

James walked away and sat on the couch. "That was my last match."

She followed him, and stood in front of him. "Our eyes will adjust. Thank Merlin for the moon." She sat on the arm of the couch, resting her legs on him.

"Maybe it's not the moon at all," he joked, "I hear Spike Lee's shooting down the street." He pointed out the window.

The girl grabbed his hand. "Bah humbug."

James couldn't look at her. "Cold hands," he murmured.

"Yours too," she replied quietly. She picked it up and measured it for size against her own. "Big, like my father's."

She stood up. "You wanna dance?" she asked, pulling him off the couch.

"With you?" James joked, following her. He twirled her.

"No," she answered, "with my father." She stopped.

"I'm James," he said, finally.

She smiled and walked close to him, holding his hands in a dancing position. Her left hand wandered down to his back pocket. She looked into his eyes. "They call me-" her hand reached into his pocket and grabbed her stash. "Lily." Lily waved the stash in front of James' face before smiling and walking out the door.

James stared after her.

" _Lily_."


End file.
